a verbal contest or confrontation, as among teenage boys or street-gang members, in which the trading of often elaborate insults and invective takes the place of physical violence.
Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.
Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.
The sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by such vibrations in the air or other medium.
Such sensations considered as a group.
An articulation made by the vocal apparatus: a vowel sound.
The distinctive character of such an articulation: The words bear and bare have the same sound.
A distinctive noise: a hollow sound.
The distance over which something can be heard: within sound of my voice.
Linguistics
An articulation made by the vocal apparatus: a vowel sound.
The distinctive character of such an articulation: The words bear and bare have the same sound.
A mental impression; an implication: didn't like the sound of the invitation.
Auditory material that is recorded, as for a movie.
Meaningless noise.
Music A distinctive style, as of an orchestra or a singer.
Archaic Rumor; report.
v.
sound·ed, sound·ing, sounds
v.
intr.
To make or give forth a sound: The siren sounded.
To be given forth as a sound: The fanfare sounded.
To present a particular impression: That argument sounds reasonable.
v.
tr.
To cause to give forth or produce a sound: sounded the gong.
To summon, announce, or signal by a sound: sound a warning.
Linguistics To articulate; pronounce: sound a vowel.
To make known; celebrate: "Nations unborn your mighty names shall sound"(Alexander Pope).
To examine (a body organ or part) by causing to emit sound; auscultate.
Phrasal Verb(s): sound off
To express one's views vigorously: was always sounding off about higher taxes.
To count cadence when marching in military formation.
[Middle English soun, from Old French son, from Latin sonus; see swen- in Indo-European roots.]
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms; "left their clothes dirty looking"; "a most disagreeable looking character"; "angry-looking"; "liquid-looking"; "severe-looking policemen on noble horses"; "fine-sounding phrases"; "taken in by high-sounding talk" [syn: looking]
2.
having volume or deepness; "sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal"; "the sounding cataract haunted me like a passion"- Wordsworth
3.
making or having a sound as specified; used as a combining form; "harsh-sounding"
noun
1.
a measure of the depth of water taken with a sounding line
2.
the act of measuring depth of water (usually with a sounding line)
Sound\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Sounding.] [F. sonder; cf. AS. sundgyrd a sounding rod, sundline a sounding line (see Sound a narrow passage of water).]1. To measure the depth of; to fathom; especially, to ascertain the depth of by means of a line and plummet. 2. Fig.: To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe. I was in jest, And by that offer meant to sound your breast. --Dryden. I've sounded my Numidians man by man. --Addison. 3. (Med.) To explore, as the bladder or urethra, with a sound; to examine with a sound; also, to examine by auscultation or percussion; as, to sound a patient.
Sound\, n. [OE. soun, OF. son, sun, F. son, fr. L. sonus akin to Skr. svana sound, svan to sound, and perh. to E. swan. Cf. Assonant, Consonant, Person, Sonata, Sonnet, Sonorous, Swan.]1. The peceived object occasioned by the impulse or vibration of a material substance affecting the ear; a sensation or perception of the mind received through the ear, and produced by the impulse or vibration of the air or other medium with which the ear is in contact; the effect of an impression made on the organs of hearing by an impulse or vibration of the air caused by a collision of bodies, or by other means; noise; report; as, the sound of a drum; the sound of the human voice; a horrid sound; a charming sound; a sharp, high, or shrill sound. The warlike sound Of trumpets loud and clarions. --Milton. 2. The occasion of sound; the impulse or vibration which would occasion sound to a percipient if present with unimpaired; hence, the theory of vibrations in elastic media such cause sound; as, a treatise on sound. Note: In this sense, sounds are spoken of as audible and inaudible. 3. Noise without signification; empty noise; noise and nothing else. Sense and not sound . . . must be the principle. --Locke. Sound boarding, boards for holding pugging, placed in partitions of under floors in order to deaden sounds. Sound bow, in a series of transverse sections of a bell, that segment against which the clapper strikes, being the part which is most efficacious in producing the sound. See Illust. of Bell. Sound post. (Mus.) See Sounding post, under Sounding.